Avoid cliches like the plague

The best presentations have supportive media (p2) that adds to the overall value of the piece (p cubed). There is more to this than simply adding pictures. A few banana skins have already been covered: clip art, multiple images; poor quality images are forbidden; framing; and annotation. Cliches, like the planet, are forbidden too. (How many can you spot in this post?)

There is a challenge to finding an image appropriate for specific steps within the arc of a presentation. Images are best when used with restraint. They need a specific purpose and their choice should reflect the style of the piece overall without affecting the flow of the dialogue. The difference between witty banter at the dinner table and a Christmas cracker joke.

If you need to illustrate partnership, never use a picture of a handshake. If you are discussing worldwide applicability, don't show a globe. If you highlighting targets, it's not about archery or darts. And the jigsaw with the missing piece? Really? That should stay missing, forever.

Which leads the student presenter to asking, "how do I illustrate such ideas?" One doesn't, one illustrates the presentation, the theme, the purpose, not the steps. This is where creativity moves. Express yourself, don't repeat a cliche.